Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich preview: Bayern’s mettle tested in Der Klassiker

Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich preview: Bayern's mettle tested in Der Klassiker

Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich preview: Bayern’s mettle tested in Der Klassiker

Borussia Dortmund

BVB have bounced back from a tough spell with four defeats in five games across all competitions, with Nuri Sahin guiding the team to a strong resurgence. Under his leadership, die Schwarzgelben have secured four wins in their last five games, scoring 11 goals and conceding just two in the process.

Their momentum was built with a dominant 4-0 home win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga last weekend, followed by an impressive 3-0 triumph over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens opened the scoring with a sensational strike before Ramy Bensebaini and Serhou Guirassy sealed victory.

Dortmund have now climbed to fourth in the Champions League table and are on course to secure an automatic place in the round of 16. In the Bundesliga, they are in fifth place, just one point behind the top four, but still ten points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who they face on Saturday.

BVB will be confident heading into this encounter at the Westfalenstadion, where they have been unbeaten since the start of April (W12 D1) and have won all eight of their home games this season. A ninth straight home win would mark the first time in their history they have achieved such a feat in a professional campaign.

Dortmund have already claimed victories over third-placed RB Leipzig and second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at home this season. But they now face their biggest test yet against Bayern, a team they have endured more defeats to than any other club (67).

Yet Bayern have also been on the losing end against Dortmund (33) more often than any other team. This classic rivalry is ready to deliver another exciting chapter.

Keep news

Borussia Dortmund will be without their captain, Emre Can, who is serving the second of a two-match suspension. Karim Adeyemi is also unavailable due to a hamstring injury. Julian Brandt, who was forced off at half-time against Dinamo Zagreb with a muscle problem, is a doubt for the match. However, Niklas Süle, who has been sidelined for over a month with an ankle injury, has recovered and could be in contention to play.

In terms of line-up changes, striker Serhou Guirassy, ​​who has scored 49 Bundesliga goals in his career, will hope to push for a starting place at the expense of Maximilian Beier. Julian Ryerson is also set to return at right-back, which would allow Pascal Groß to switch back to midfield.

Bayern Munich

Bayern arrive in North Rhine-Westphalia in formidable form, boasting a seven-game winning streak in all competitions. During this run, they have scored 18 goals and kept seven clean sheets, going over 700 minutes without conceding a single goal.

Under the leadership of Vincent Kompany, Bayern have found their rhythm after some early season inconsistencies and established themselves as a dominant force. Their 3-0 Bundesliga win over Augsburg last weekend was followed by a hard-fought 1-0 victory over 10-man Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Kim Min-jae scoring the decisive first-half header.

Victory over Paris Saint Germain has boosted their chances of progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League, with Bayern moving up to 13th in the 36-team table, just one point behind the top eight with three games remaining. Now their focus shifts back to the Bundesliga, where they now sit six points clear at the top.

Kompany has made an impressive impact since taking over, collecting 29 points from his first 11 Bundesliga games (W9 D2), equaling the division’s record set by Pep Guardiola in the 2012-13 season and Klaus Toppmöller in 1993-94.

Bayern will be confident heading into Saturday’s Klassiker, with the Rekordmeister unbeaten in Dortmund since November 2018, winning four and drawing one of their last five visits, including a dominant 4-0 win last November. Bayern will be keen to continue their strong run and extend their lead at the summit.

Keep news

For Bayern, they will be missing Joao Palhinha (groin), Hiroki Ito (broken foot), Josip Stanisic (knee) and Sven Ulreich (personal reasons).

Aleksandar Pavlovic, who has been recovering from shoulder surgery, is back in training but is unlikely to feature this weekend. Leon Goretzka is therefore expected to keep his place in midfield alongside Joshua Kimmich.

Bayern’s right-back position remains flexible, with either Konrad Laimer or Raphael Guerreiro likely to be deployed there. In attack, Michael Olise could replace Leroy Sané on the right wing and join Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane in the forward line. Kane, who became the fastest player in Bundesliga history to reach 50 goals last weekend, will be keen to add to his tally.